Unconditional Love
by 3rooke
Summary: "No!" She couldn't stop him now. The damage had been done. His eyes grew wide, and he stood in a chilling silence. On the label read, "Home Pregnancy Test." Pearlshipping
1. Chapter One

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter One**_

She paced back and forth, back and forth. What to do, what to do. Tapping the plastic stick between her fingers, mumbling all kinds of things to herself. Sweat beginning to drip down her neck. The lump in her throat growing so big, she could barely breathe.

"I can't do it. I just can't."

Hearing footsteps walk down the hall she jumped, and stumbled over to her bag feeling another tingle in her stomach. Like an itch, crawling deeper inside her. She forced it back, and shoved the item from her hands into the front pocket of her bag and quickly kicked all the evidence under her bed. She was still in a bit of a mess when the door swung open, with Ash stumbling through. _Shit._

"Man," he sighed, his voice lunging out to her ears. "I'm beat. Feels like me and Brock were-" Her eyes bulged out of her head and her hands slapped over her mouth, she charged through the doorway, forcing Ash out of the way. "Dawn!"

She didn't bother closing the door behind her, letting Ash rush in there with her as she dropped her head over the toilet and let loose.

"Dawn!" He rushed over to her, kneeling beside and gathering the loose hair that flowed over her face. "Are you okay? What happened?" She looked back over to him, bringing her hand up to her lips before once again losing the battle between her and her stomach.

When the tightness in her throat finally subsided she slumped over the toilet seat, her hands hanging limp over the sides. She coughed a little before giving a half-hearted reply, "Yeah... I'm fine." How convincing.

He placed his hands over her shoulders, circling his thumbs into the back of her neck, his worried expression lurking over her. "What happened? Are you sick? Here, let me take you to bed-"

"No." She yanked herself away from him, looking away. "I don't need your help."

"I just..."

"Please, just leave me alone for a minute." Her hair hung over her face as she lifted her head up - bits of splatter clinging to the strands - making it impossible to see her expression. Either way, Ash slowly walked out, hesitating a little with each step. Contemplating whether leaving her was really the best idea. "Please," she sighed, her voice catching in her throat.

She hadn't seemed herself lately. Her quieter, calmer, not-so-cheery self. Her Pokemon sat in their balls for almost a week, even though there was a contest in only two days. Brock shared his concern, quickly picking up on her sudden change in behaviour – not that it was hard – but she let is pass. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was ever wrong. Since yesterday she had been acting kind of suspicious, wandering off without saying anything. Even this morning, Shopping Queen of the Century couldn't have hurried out of the mall faster. But is goes without saying that was no less then a relief for her two male companions; although, looking back, it begged some questions. It was obvious now wasn't the time to start up a conversation about her attitude.

She wiped the sweat of her forehead with the back of her wrist. This was not good. Pushing the hair away from her eyes, she lifted her head up and peered out the window. From the angle she was on all she could see was a bright blanket of blue, with small smudges of cotton-white. She thought about just sitting here, forever. Savouring the moment where everything was right. Savouring the moment where this little relationship that she had going on was still innocent. Maybe 'innocent' wasn't the best word to use. Harmless, maybe. She was lucky Ash was so dense, but if this kept up it wouldn't be so easy to pass this over Brock. Nothing seems to get by him, and she doubted he would ever let this one slide.

Boy, was she in trouble.

_Deep _trouble.

He sat down on the bottom bed, Dawn's bed, worrying. He twiddled his thumbs and bit his lip. He was afraid that something had happened to Dawn, something he didn't know about. But whatever it was, she would tell him, right? Had something happened with her mother? Was she sick? Did _he _do something?

He leant forward, rubbing his hands over his eyes and slipping them through his hair. This was so frustrating. If only she'd talk to him. Maybe he could help, but for now, he felt just as useful at the block of wood at the head of her bed. He opened his eyes, peering down through this fingers. He noticed something peeking out from under the bed. A piece of cardboard – a small box? He reached out to grab it, his intention aimed to toss it in the bin located in the corner of the room.

"Don't!"

"What?" Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was glazed in sweat. She pulled her hand back from the air, something she had done by reflex. Like some sort of way to stop him. " Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine. No need to worry. Just, please... don't look under there..."

"What? Why? And what do you mean 'no need to worry'? You just spilled your guts in there and you want me to pretend like it was nothing?" He inhaled, realising that becoming frustrated with her wasn't really going to fix anything. "Dawn... I'm worried."

"O-Okay... I get it, I just... I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" She back peddled, looking away from him; her eyes darting around in all directions.

"I-I can't tell you now. It's..."

"Dawn, just tell me."

"I can't, please Ash." She looked back at him, her eyes in a fury of anxiety. Her hands were shaking, her fingers quivering, she reflected the image of an elderly woman. So vulnerable and fragile. "Now, I... I need to get changed. So could you..."

He sighed, and looked back down. "Sure, Dawn." He leaned over again, picking up the small box. Mistaking it for rubbish. Not that is wasn't, but to Dawn that box stitched everything together. Now it was at his fingertips.

Suddenly her mind fell to pieces. "No! _Stop! _Don't touch that!" She lunged at him, snatching it away from his grasp. Her voice chipped like ice.

"What? Dawn, are you crazy? Tell me what's gotten into you!"

She spun around, the box crinkled against her chest. Her breathing was heavy, and her entire body shook so violently it looked as though she was having a fit.

"Dawn, what are you _doing_? I was just gonna throw it out. What it is?" She wanted him to understand, but there was only so far he could do in the dark. She knew that.

"No... I can't tell you... Not now..."

"Dawn, _please._"

"No... not now. Not now. _Not now_."

He grabbed her shoulder, spinning her towards him and snatching the treasure clutched between her cold, fragile grip.

"_No!_" She couldn't stop him now. The damage had been done.

His eyes grew wide, and he stood in a chilling silence. On the label read, "Home Pregnancy Test."

–

_**Okay. I'm determined. This is going to be my first completed chapter story. I say that every time, but this time I mean it!**_

_**Thanks for reading you! Yes, you. You're awesome.**_

**`3rooke**


	2. Chapter Two

_**Unconditional Love**_

_**Chapter Two**_

"Have you... Have you done it?" He looked up at her thin frame, watching her shaking like a dog. Her hair stuck to her pale face, framing her bloodshot eyes. She fiddled with her fingers, pressing them up against her stomach. She was not ready for this. Barely accepting it herself, now she had to break the news to the one person she really didn't want to the most.

She nodded.

She didn't want to disappoint him. _It was her fault. _If there was anyone else in this room right now, then she wished it – anyone but Ash – because nobody else was involved like he was. She would rather have someone else judge her right now for her indiscretion, rather then bare this weight with someone else.

"...And?" He looked at her as if he already knew the answer. She moved towards him, taking every step with caution as if she walking through a landmine. Bending down, she extended an arm out under the bed, pulling out her bag. She quietly rummaged through it before pulling out a little stick of plastic. Pure white.

Almost.

If it wasn't for that innocent pink cross on the side.

She handed it to him, her skinny little fingers shaking more violently then before. She could feel the electricity pulse through her arm as it reached his fingertips. His knees buckled under him, and in a flash he found himself gripping on to the wooden bed frame beside him. His pupils dilated, drawing his focus to the item in his hands. He expected it, but expecting something and confirming are unrelated. He just couldn't look away. Here in his hand was evidence that he was a father. He was a _father._

"Is it... Is it mine?" He looked up at her, noticing a quick change in expression.

"How can you say that?"

"I just... How do we know?"

"How do we know? _How do we know?_ Ash, you're the only one!" She backed up towards the door, feeling a very familiar sensation in her throat as her stomach began to swell.

"Dawn, I didn't mean it like that.. Just..." He drifted off, taking a seat down on the end of the bed.

"Just, what?" She clenched her stomach, trying to calm down as the bluntness coerced though the back of her tongue.

He leaned over on his knees, dragging his fingers through his hair. His hat tipping behind him. "I don't know... I don't know if I can do this, Dawn..."

She didn't reply. Instead, she dropped her head back down and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could do it either, but at least for him he had an option. He could just walk away from this. Pretend like it never happened. But for her, the road was split two ways to the same destination. She could choose her death, but not her funeral.

"_Well I don't know if I can do this either!_" His head shot up in surprise. She had broken the silence rather abruptly. A dim light reflected off the streaks driven down her face.]. It felt as though his heart had stopped.

"Dawn... I... You can't expect me to say it's all okay. I don't know how to be a father."

"None of this is _okay._" She coughed out, leaning over her knees as it all spilled out once again, managing to spit out chipped words. "You have a choice! You can walk away, _it's not growing inside of you!_"

All he could do was watch her. Watching her like that, everything inside him went numb. All the frustration and anxiety went grey – and suddenly if felt like all of this was a game. He slowly rose to his feet, and stepped around her through the doorway, disappearing from her sight.

She felt more alone at that moment than she even had before.

Even though she was closer to anyone than she ever had been.

–

_**So, that's basically the introduction. Yes, they are both underage – Dawn is 15, Ash is 16. If you are offended by anything written throughout, review it. I'm interested to know you view on this, good or bad.**_

_**Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me that you guys actually like the gibberish I put up on here. I put a lot of effort into this gibberish. I love that word. Gibberish.**_

_**`3rooke**_

_**Jiberish – look, two ways to spell it! I Googled it.**_


	3. Chapter Three

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Three**_

His hands in his pockets, his head down to the floor. This was something he just couldn't ignore – how could he? He wasn't the type of person to leave when things got hard. He never gave up. So why was now so different? But how else does she expect him to react. One minute his life is perfect, everything exactly the way he wanted. How could it all just fall apart like this?

_I'm a father._

_I'm a father._

_I'm a father._

He repeated it to himself a hundred times, but it refused to sync in. This was just too much. He was sixteen. _Sixteen. _He didn't even know how to cook breakfast, and now he was expected to look after a child? This just couldn't be happening.

His bangs covered his eyes, ignoring the people that passed him. His fingers twiddled around his in his pocket as he fiddled with that stupid plastic stick. He remembered something someone had told him a long time ago.

"_Nothing's worse then regret."_

He got that right. He was drowning in it. That painful son of a bitch. Like someone drawing a fist over your heart, squeezing and tugging at it until it feels like your ready to just fall on the floor and never get up. Paralysing you. But could he really do that? Just... give up on her? Pretend like he had nothing to do with it.

He sat down on a park bench, looking out over the beach across from him. It was so quiet. The sound of crushing waves, laughing in the distance as children played and carried on. A little red and while beach ball bouncing across the sand, almost gliding. The orange clouds dissolving into the horizon of open blue water as the son began to say goodnight. Maybe he could just stay here and never leave. Just forget about it all and start fresh. No, that would be ridiculous. You can never escape your life, just as you can never escape yourself. You just have to be as strong as the sand. Waves will always try and take you away, but you just have to sit tight and go through it all - knowing that soon the tide will die down.

He sighed for the hundredth time today - least but not last - pulling out the test and holding it between his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. That stupid pink cross. Clear as day.

"_I'm scared, Ash..."_

"_Don't worry," he dragged his warm fingers behind her neck, his thumb caressing her soft, pale cheek. "I'll be gentle, I promise."_

_She leant up against him, burying herself in his neck. It felt to lonely and cold without something warm to hold on to. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, but it wasn't like she was going to stop him either. She blamed it on his musky deodorant, it was clouding her senses._

_He leaned forward,bracing himself between her legs. He pulled away from her, and planted a protective kiss over her forehead. He promised to make this the best night of her life._

_Condensation beaded over their tent, much like the sweat across his back._

"_I love you, Dawn."_

He still remembered the look on her face. She was so vulnerable, so trusting. She was beautiful. But to look at her today; is that what he'd done to her? She was so scared that night, he could still remember it all so clearly. The way she looked at him with pleading eyes – he wasn't sure if she was begging him to stop or keep going. She probably didn't know either.

"Ash! Is that you!"

His head shot up and looked towards that familiar voice – chills running down his spine.

Oh no.

Not now.

Please not today.

"_Misty?"_

–

_**Oh how unoriginal. Bringing one of the old Pokegirls back to cause drama. You can already see what's going to happen here, I know... Hopefully I can keep you all amused. I wasn't going to have this happen at first, but hey, I've never done that before so I though now would be a good time to try it out. Okay, I may have done it once before in my old account. Just once.**_

_**And yes, this chapter is just as short as the last one. I'm sorry. This is just a short piece just to get the idea of what Ash is thinking – and of course to bring Misty into the story. Sometimes I think when you are trying to focus on one thing it's good to just have it short, instead of having a lot of different things going on in the one – draws attention away from the point of focus. Though, they will get longer as the story goes along - I promise.**_

_**Thankyou everyone for you're reviews! You guys are awesome! Seriously. Also, thanks to the few of you that helped me out with the little bits of advice you gave me. I shall take notes of it all. Like I said, that's why we have reviews. **_

_**Thankyouu.**_

_**`3rooke**_


	4. Chapter Four

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Four**_

_His eyes widened, and his hands began to shake when he realised what he was fiddling with. He quickly shoved it back in his pocket. He thought it best if no one knew about this just yet, especially Misty._

She threw the cloth back in the little red bucket that sat above the machine, Brock looking through to her from the bathroom, washing his hands. The place was rather small, but they were used to it. Most Pokemon Centres were like this. Just a door leading from the main hall to the bedroom, which was connected to a bathroom that was shared as a laundry room – a small cupboard-like space separating it. The only nice, less claustrophobic area would have to be the balcony, connected to the back of the bedroom. Although, they weren't always lucky enough to get a room with one, much less one with such a beautiful view of the beach.

"You alright now, Dawn?"

_No._

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault you're sick. These things happen," he looked back down to the sink, turning it off before shaking his hands dry. "Don't be afraid to ask me if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure," a soft smile gracing her lips. "Thank you, Brock."

It wasn't too long after Ash ran out that Brock had walked through the doors. He found Dawn covered in sick, almost leaning face-first into it. When he stepped through the doors she looked up at him, bloodshot eyes almost giving him a heart-attack. Tears running down her ghastly pale face. She had explained that she had felt rather unwell, probably from something she ate at the store earlier. He didn't recall them being there long enough for her to snack on anything, but he thought it would be better to hold off on the questions. After all, she did disappear for a while, who knows what she could have done in the time.

After putting on a new shirt, she sloped over her bed, staring up at the wooden planks of Ash's bed. She'd much proffered being at the bottom, not that she really had a choice most of time time. Not with Ash in the same room. She felt something rough tickle her leg. Leaning her head up, she noticed Ash's hat resting neatly to her left. She gently kicked it off onto the floor, forgetting it. She breathed in, clenching her stomach – never forgetting for a moment that she had a monster growing inside her. She kept hoping that Ash would just walk back in and say he was with her, ready to face it too. But she doubted that things would work out like that. Not that he could, anyway; not with Brock hanging around. This wasn't a fairytale. Far from it. She was determined not to let anyone else find out about this baby. The looks she would get. She was fifteen. No one would ever give her a second thought if they knew. She was sure Brock would be more understanding then anyone else, but she just couldn't bare to think of the disappointed look he would give her. He was so fond of her, she knew, he had so much respect. It would break his heart if he ever found out. He wasn't even aware Ash and herself looked at each other like that, so imagine the shock.

What about her mother? What would she think? Her little baby Dawn was having a baby? If Dawn couldn't get it through her head, how could she expect her mother to? Ash promised her mother that he would take care of her on her journey, now look. Look what he had done. Although, she knew she was in just as much fault. She doesn't even know how things got this way, or why she did it. Or, more like what she _didn't _do. Everything was just happening at once, she was so distracted she just couldn't think. Her actions had consequences, her mother always said that, and now there was no one who could get her out of it. The damage had been done.

She couldn't hide this forever. It was only a matter of time before people asked questions.

Oh, no.

_Not again._

She shot back up, covering her mouth slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Just eight more months to go. _Just eight more._

Maybe.

She leant over the toilet, exhausted. This _thing _was going to kill her.

Her head shot up when she heard the main door slam shut, she quickly wiped her mouth on her shirt and rushed to the door. She leant on the frame, still feeling queasy.

"Ash?" She looked out to the bedroom, begging for it to be him and not Brock just wandering outside.

It was him, that was for sure. But she got more then she'd hoped for, without a doubt.

Three pairs of eyes stared at her, a little surprised at the unusual outburst. Her head sank into her shoulders, and she leaned back inside ever so slightly. Ash's eyes looked down to the floor, and it stung. It really did. Of all times she could have met Misty in person, it had to be now? Of course it did, _of course._

"Hey, um... Dawn, right?" Misty half smiled. "It's... good to finally meet you."

"Likewise," she said under her breath. She tried to act as natural as she could, but her voice seemed to be hooked inside the back of her throat. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Likewise".

"You alright, Dawn?" Brock frowned, sorry for the poor girl. "Maybe you should rest. Dawn's not her best at the moment. A bit of food poisoning. She'll be fine." He finished, turning to Misty half way through to explain.

Misty looked at her with fake eyes. She had only just met this girl, but first impressions seem to hold the longest grudge. She smiled a little, at least she was trying. But Dawn could tell it was all half-hearted. She looked as though she was a little... disgusted. Though, I suppose having a bit of vomit on her shirt, there was really no surprise.

"Yeah, you're right..." She glanced at Ash, who had finally decided to look at her again. She sighed, dropping her head slightly before wandering into the bedroom.

"I might just take this," she said under hear breath, loud enough, turning around and grabbing the little red bucket. This was going to be a long night.

–

"I might head to bed, guys. I'm exhausted," Brock announced, getting up from his seat on the balcony and sliding open the thick, glass door with a bit of struggle. "It's been a pretty long day."

"Yeah..." Ash whispered. _It sure has been._

"Goodnight, Brock!" Misty chirped. "I suppose all the Nurse Joy hunting would get a man tired pretty quickly!" She said, laughing at her own joke. Brock smiled in response. It sure was good to have her back. Kind of.

"So, Ash..." Misty said, looking at her glass, twirling it around in her hand. "What's going on with you and Dawn?"

Ash tensed. He was going to get a lot of questions like that, for sure. That is, if this vibe between the two didn't die down soon. "Hm? N-nothing."

"Are you sure?" Her voice was a little bit higher in pitch then he remembered. She always did that when she was feeling a little awkward. But the expression on her face told a different story. She seemed rather smug. "'Cause there seemed to be a lot of tension between you guys today..."

"Oh. Well-"

"You sure there's nothing going on?"

He paused for a while. After all, him and Dawn were still together. It kind of felt like they weren't, but... No one had said it was over. Not that they really had the chance to.

"Of course there's nothing going on. Me and Dawn are just friends, it's how it's always been."

Dawn closed her eyes, burying her cheek into the damp pillow, her arms wrapping around underneath.

Guess Brock had forgotten to close the balcony door.

–

_**I'll try my best not to make Misty look like a total ass.**_

_**`3rooke**_


	5. Chapter Five

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Five**_

"_It has been way too long!"_

"_No kidding," he said, splashing some water at her. Looking down at her Psyduck. "It's good to see you too, buddy." Psyduck just tilted his head, looking at the familiar trainer. Still slightly confused at who exactly this kid was._

"_Hey! Don't get my hair wet!"_

"_You train water Pokemon, you're a leader at a water type gym... and you're complaining about getting your hair wet?" Ash scoffed. "You and Dawn might not be so different after all!" He pressed a hand on his stomach, laughing hysterically at his own joke. Misty sweatdropped, before her face lit up. Suddenly remembering a particular topic she was keen on investigating._  
><em>Moving through the water, keeping steady with the waves, she moved closer to Ash, who was still distracted.<em>

"_So..." her face moved closer to his, her eyes staring straight at him._

_Hearing her voice suddenly, practically, tickle his ear his eyes shot open and a blush crimsoned his cheeks. "Uh, what?"_

"_This... Dawn girl. Where'd you meet her?"_

"_Uh... Pretty much the same way I met you."_

"_Oh, really? You often go out scuba diving, grabbing onto young girl's fishing lines?"_

_He laughed, "Uh, not exactly."_

"_Did you zap her bike too? Like my poor bike... and May's."_

"_Hey! I got yours fixed! Don't look at me like that!" She grinned. "...And yeah. I mean, not purposely... I wasn't even there at the time! It was that!" Ash spun around, keeping eye contact with Misty, and pointing an accusing finger at Pikachu; who was sitting quietly with his sandcastle, not daring to go in the water. He looked up when he heard his friend begin to raise his voice, cocking a head to the side, missing the entire conversation._

"_Oh, sure... Blame it on the Pokemon..." Misty sneakily grinned. She moved closer to him, watching Ash squirm a little. His hand slowly retrieved itself, moving down to his side. A lazy finger still poking out._

_She took his hand in hers, moving the other delicately under his chin, and quickly pressed her lips onto his._  
>She opened her eyes. Blinked a few times. And then remembered. It came at her like a wave, and suddenly she wished she could just fall back to sleep, but that certainly wasn't happening.<br>She sat up and looked around. No one was here. Great. She slowly kicked her legs out from under the sheets, leaning over to reach for the bucket beside her bed. She sat it on her lap and waited, so far this _thing _had caused havoc almost every morning so she knew it was coming. Of course, this could have been from stress too. Strangely enough, she felt more relaxed then she had in a while. Feeling the tightness in her throat disappear, she placed the bucket back down, standing up and walking out to the bathroom. As soon as she did, she fell back down, reaching for the bucket. That'd be right.

Slipping her hand under her shirt, she lifted it up and wiped her mouth. She stood up again, a little slower and continued her mission. She leaned over the sink, placing her hands steadily on the sides. She stared at herself. Her face was pale, the line of her eyes edged with red. _Hardly noticeable_, she thought hair was a mess, strands sticking out all over the place, some crusted with vomit. Her mouth twisted in disgust as she reached for the tap. She wet her hair, cleaning out whatever she could and grabbed the brush. She took great pride in her hair. It didn't really matter what was on her face, weather it be covered in pimples or food, as long as her hair was okay. Some things never changed. She brushed it out slowly, taking care not to pull too hard on the agitated pain in her head. When she had finally done all she could for the moment, she smiled. But it didn't work. She spat in the sink, and twisted her heels walking back to her bedroom – only to find Ash there as well, rummaging through his bag in nothing but his shorts, his hair damp.

He looked up at her, as she did to him. The pain in her head throbbing a little louder. One moment she couldn't care less, about anything, then he cops a field in her sight and suddenly everything inside she starts to fall apart. She really liked him. She _really _liked him. Not every man was lucky enough to devour her the way he did. In fact, no man was lucky enough. Just him.

"Hey," he nodded. His eyes were so hollow. So dark. So _guilty._

She shuffled over past him, grabbing her bucket, whispering a light "hey" under her croaky morning breath. She cleared her throat, but didn't try again. She hooked the little black handle of her bucked over her arm, opening the balcony door. _Shit._

"Oh, good morning, Dawn!" Misty greeted, a hand blocking her eyes from the sun. She sat on the small coach out there, her legs up and rested on one of the deck chairs, a beach towel wrapped around her thin frame. "How you feeling?" Her voice was so high and loud, it pulled at her migraine.

She flinched, her head pounding that little bit louder. "Fine... Thank you," she said quietly, squinting her eyes. Curse this sun.

"You don't look fine," she scoffed.  
>Paused, she slowly turned back to the glass door, shuffling her heels back inside. "Then why did you ask..." Misty lifted her head up to Dawn, her eyebrows coming together in a scowl. Just in time to watch her step back inside. She sighed. Ash was still there, looking for whatever it was in his bag. This place was too small. Too many people.<p>

"Dawn, you seen my hat?" He continued, not looking at her, just focusing on the bottom of his bag. He'd pulled everything out, his clothes, Pokedex and things all over her bed.

She paused.

"...Nope." She continued through the room, bending down under her bed to pick up her jumper. She noticed the red hat under there behind her bag, expecting it to be there. _Oh well. _She didn't quite feel _ready _enough to tell him where it was. Maybe she would just let him look for it by himself, waiting and waiting for her to say something and tell him where his hat was but instead just leave him in the dark, knowing all along what the correct answer was, until he was ready to... She stopped thinking. For a while.

She dragged her heels out the main door, and down the hallway. She didn't know where she was going. What did it matter? Anywhere was better then here.

_Think happy things, Dawn. Happy things. Happy things._

"Hey, Dawn! You're up!" Brock cheered, a shopping bag pressed up against his chest.

"Yeah... Isn't it great..." She mumbled sarcastically. He let it slide. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, I didn't get the chance to grab a few things from the store yesterday, so I decided to catch up on it today."

"Oh," she said guiltily, remembering the drama and the rush she had created yesterday morning. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's not your fault." He walked towards the door of their room, a hand on the doorknob. "Oh! Before I forget. Did you want me to take your Pokemon out for a bit? It's been a while since they got to stretch and run around."

"Oh, that would be great." Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper. But the frog in her throat had clearly hoped away. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," and with that he walked inside. Greeted by an obviously frustrated Ash.

"Have you tried under the bed maybe?" She heard Brock groan from behind the door. She smiled and shook her head, making her way.  
>She actually forgot about her Pokemon through all the drama. Man, how was that even possible? She dragged her heavy feet away and out of the building, nodding a 'hello' to Nurse Joy, who was sitting quietly at the counter, waiting patiently for someone to walk in.<br>How she wished all of this would just end.

–

"I don't get you Ketchum," she called out from the balcony, flipping through a magazine.  
>He poked his head through, looking over to her, his hat placed on his head in a hurry and his bag hanging off his hand, his stuff shoved inside with no sign of organisation.<p>

"What?"

"You're hat's inside out."

He jumped, taking it off and throwing it back inside on Dawn's bed. Pikachu jumping up to investigate it.

"What do you mean, 'I don't get you'?" he said, returning back inside to fix his stuff, taking no notice as his jeans slipped out from the top of his bag. Misty ignored it, returning to her magazine.

"You said there was nothing going on with that _Dawn _girl."

"Okay," he raised his voice so she could hear him as his fiddled with his stuff from the bedroom. "Her name _is _Dawn. You don't need to add anything on the end. And, like I told you last night, nothing's going on."

Brock, who was presently in the bathroom, took notice of there conversation as it was one that sparked his attention.

"Then why did you freak out when I kissed you?"  
>Oh yeah. This was defiantly something worth hearing.<p>

"I didn't freak out!"

"Okay. Why did you 'trip' like an idiot into the water and start flopping around like a startled Magikarp."

He paused, frowning. "How else was I suppose to react?" He paused again when he heard Brock snicker from the bathroom. "...You can't just go up and plant your lips on people whenever you feel like it!"

"Well, it took you a good ten seconds to realise I was kissing you." Brock let out a small, muffled laugh, mixed in with his personal scoff.

"Shut up in there!" Ash snapped, turning back to his things, realising he had dropped his jeans.

"Ash?" she called out. Her voice wobbling, picking up the jeans.

"What now?" Misty looked down at the object in her hand, trying to take it in. "By the way, are my pants out there?"

"Uh, yeah!" She jumped, quickly shifting the object under the back of the towel in the back of her swim shorts. "Here."

"Thanks, what were you gonna say?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, quickly looking away. "Oh, nothing. I just... I just thought I saw something on the beach, it's nothing."

"You sure?" He said, taking a quick glance at her before returning back to his bag. She looked down, pressing her hand to the lower of her back, making sure her possession was still there.

"Yeah."

–

_**Uh oh, things are boiling up... Yeah, so nothing really happened in this chapter. But it's still longer then my last few. As promised.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**`3rooke**_


	6. Chapter Six

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Six**_

_What am I doing._

_What the hell am I doing._

His arms rested behind his head as he looked up from the celling – which wasn't that far, since he was on the top bunk. Dawn still wasn't back. She'd been gone all day, and no one had really said anything. Apart from Brock, of course. Ash had figured that Misty wouldn't say anything. He may have been dense, but Misty had made it pretty clean in the way she spoke about her that she wasn't a fan. Although, all conversation about her had gone on an all time low by the end of the day. Misty hardly said a work about her tonight.

He couldn't figure it out. Some things were clear, and other things made no sense. None of this made any sense. Why did he let her kiss him? His mind ran around in circles, searching for answers that were out of his reach. _Did he still like Dawn? _This wasn't getting anywhere until he spoke to her. They both knew that.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He would talk to her when she got back.

He leaned over, searching for his bag at the end of the bed. He pulled it towards him, and began to search through. His heart skipped a beat when he didn't find it right away. He calmed himself, and continued. Front pocket, back pocket, side pocket, inside pocket. Where was it? He picked up his jeans, and searched through.

_His eyes widened, and his hands began to shake when he realised what he was fiddling with. He quickly shoved it back in his pocket. He thought it best if no one knew about this just yet, especially Misty._

Back pocket, other back pocket, side pocket, other side pocket, lower pocket. Nothing. Where was _it._

Pikachu awoke, lifting his head up and looking at his trainer with groggy eyes. "Pika?"

Ash jumped, startled by the sound. "Go back to sleep Pikachu." He did, no questions asked. He was much to tired to be dealing with Ash anyway.

He continued to rummage through his things, but the more he did the more anxious he got. He remembered dropping his jeans out on the balcony. It _must_ have been there.

He leaned over, placing his feet on the ladded as slowly and as gently as he could manage. He failed to stop the creeks and moans the bed made as it shifted with the new weight. He placed his feet on the ground, stepping over and between the deck of cards that were scattered over the floor. They had decided to play a game of poker last night. He looked up towards the two beds. Brock on the bottom, sound asleep. Same went for Misty, on top. Originally, Misty had her own room at the Centre, but Brock had suggested she stay here with them. "The more the merrier," as he explained it.

He quietly opened the balcony door, feeling the breeze of the warm, tropical air on his face. He closed it behind him, and began to look around. He glanced his eyes over the floor, under the couch and chairs, the table and pillows. Nothing. It wasn't here. Could someone have maybe kicked it off the side when they walked through? He checked the railing. Not possible. The glass fence made to all the way to the floor, leaving a tiny gap. But nothing would be able to slip under.

He sighed. He was scared, tired, and he'd had enough of it all.

Wait.

"_By the way, did I leave my pants out there?"_

"_Uh, yeah." He stepped outside, "here."_

Could Misty have taken it? But why didn't she say anything? He looked over through the glass door, seeing if she was still in bed. She was.

He returned back inside, the sliding door grinding against the floor. He winced when it made a short, sharp _screech_, but was relieved when no one reacted. They didn't even stir. He walked over to Misty's bed. He could see her little backpack as part of it hung over the edge. He lightly stepped on the wood the end of Brock's bed, hoisting himself up to look over Misty's bed. He reached out, and took her bad, quickly rushing over to the bathroom. He rummaged through it, his fears confirmed. Shoved in the bottom of her bag was Dawn's pregnancy test. That stupid little plastic stick.

He looked at it for a while, before shifting it in his hand, creating a firm grip on it. He was never letting this thing out of his sight.

He closed his eyes and sighed, placing everything back into her bag like he'd found it, and quickly returned it back up on her bed. He had a feeling she might notice it missing, but it didn't matter. She knew now. She may not know who it belong to, but she wasn't an idiot. Still, either way, this was never going to leave him. Not until he spoke to Dawn.

Where was Dawn? He looked around. He bag was still there. So where could she have gone? And for so long as well?

He closed his eyes, pressing the test up against his chest.

One thing finally became clear,

_he still loved Dawn._

–

_**So, nothing else really happened. But do not stress! This is far from the end. Remember, Dawn still has over 8 months to go.**_

_**Okay, review time!**_

_**eclispe2025: Thankyou for all your help, and volunteering to be my BetaReader! It's really nice of you to be taking up your time correcting my mistakes. So thankyou.**_

_**anglecutepie: Aww, you were really tearing up? Aw! Thankyou for reading! I noticed you read some of the things on my other account, so thankyou for that too! And yeah, Ash is being a bit of a douche.**_

_**Obscurites: Oh! Sorry, it wasn't clear. "Her name is Dawn, you don't need to add anything on to the end." Ash said that because he didn't like how Misty referred to her as "That Dawn Girl". He thought it was rude, so he pointed it out. Thanks for reading!**_

_**Numbuh 006: Uh, um, o-okay. Don't stress! This isn't a Pokeshipping fic. I'm not a fan of Pokeshipping. Ash is just being an idiot. Thankyouuu for reading!**_

_**ShadowkittyxX: Haha, thankyou for clearing that up! I just have to get out of the habit now. Thankyou for reading! I love hearing from you!**_

_**Okay, if I haven't made it clear enough already: THANKYOU FOR READING, EVERYONE!**_

_**`3rooke**_


	7. Chapter Seven

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Seven**_

She walked down the hall, finding Nurse Joy was absent from her desk. Was it really that late? She looked at the clock on the wall.

"Wow," she muttered to herself, pressing the elevator button. "Two in the morning."

She walked out onto her floor, looking around for her room. The hallway lights flashing on as the sensors picked up her presence. She looked at the numbers on the doors. _234, 236, 238..._

She placed her hand on the knob, making a subtle _click _as the opened the door. It was dark, and it looked as thought everyone was asleep. She noticed Misty up on the bed above Brock's. She suspected that would happen. She sighed. _At least she didn't take my bed. _She walked over to hers, picking up the messy sheets that she'd left behind yesterday morning. She sat down, taking off her jacket and casting it under the bed, knocking over the bucket. "Shit," she cussed to herself.

"Dawn?" she heard mumbling. Looking up, she found Ash peering over at her; his lids half closed as he looked at her with a wobbly frown. "Where were you?"

"Out," she replied, looking back down and taking off her boots. She looked down at her white shirt. It was one of Ash's. She considered changing, but decided there was no point.

Ash quickly shook his head, trying to wake up. He brought his hand up, scratching the back of his head, ruffling his hair. The other arm supported him as he leaned over the railing. "Are you okay?"

She stopped, her eyes looking up in front of her. What did he care? She didn't know what to say. No, she wasn't okay. But how could he fix it anyway? What was even the point of asking?

"...Yeah. Go back to sleep."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Okay," he leaned back again, fixing his blanket.

She closed her eyes and sighed as well, leaning back into her bed. That had little question had been the best part of her week so far.

–

She sun arose, peaking through windows and doors, shinning a morning to smiling faces, and to not so smiley faces. Misty being one.

She opened her eyes, the sun shinning right over her. She groaned, rubbing her eyes. She was _not _a morning person. She looked over, making a room check. Ash was still in bed, arms and legs sprawled out all over the place - of course. Dawn, who had finally decided to come back. She leaned over the railing, searching for Brock. His bed left neatly, like he hadn't touched it all night. Trust him to be the first one up. She smiled, remembering how she would always awake from her tent to find him sitting at a pot of food, smiling brightly.

She heard soft groaning to her right. Looking over, she found Dawn stuffing her face in the pillow. "Damn mornings," she mumbled, the sound of her voice muffled by the pillow. Maybe Ash was right, they may not have been that different after all. Apart from the obviously different sense of style.

Dawn lifted her head, looking over to the side. She sat up, obviously unaware that Misty was watching her. Not that she would really give a damn anyway. She picked up the bucket, which was lying on it's side. She groaned, feeling a tightness in her throat. Usually she would have run to the toilet, but since everybody thought she was simply sick, she figured there wasn't really anything to hide. Not that she had the energy to run over to the bathroom anyhow. After all, she only had 5 hours sleep. She ducked her head over the bucket, and Misty looked away. She frowned. Dawn wasn't sick. She certainly didn't appear "sick" as such. She frowned again. She didn't _hate_ Dawn. She really had no reason too. Not yet. But she was jealous, and she didn't find it hard to admit to herself. She figured it was obvious.

"You okay down there?" she called out, looking up at the ceiling.

Dawn looked up to the voice before wiping her mouth on her shoulder sleeve. "Yeah." Her voice was hitched and wet, something caught in her throat. She coughed, clearing it. "Thanks."

Ash was next to wake up, rubbing his eyes. He stretched out his legs, groaning. "Morning, sleepy head."

Ash looked over to the cheery voice, no surprise it was Misty. "Hey."

He leaned over, checking on Dawn. He found her leaning over a bucket, which was placed on her lap, but she appeared okay.

"Hey Dawn," he smiled softly. She looked up, sad. That hurt him. She didn't bother to smile back, just to look at him with tired and lonely eyes. He sighed, leaning back over his bed.

She had this urge. A strange sensation deep in her chest. She just wanted to get up and crawl under the covers with him, and just pretend for a second like everything was normal. But Misty was there, watching them. Not to mention, she stunk.

She stood up, taking her bucket with her. Her stomach clenched. She wobbled a bit, but found her balance. She walked over to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Man, she needs to cheer up," Misty mumbled, trying to grab Ash's attention. It worked.

He frowned. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want her to get between this all. She was still his friend, and she always would be. He didn't want this thing between him and Dawn to get in the way of that, nor did she want their relationship to come between what he and Dawn had. But it seemed too late for that. The damage had been done.

"Hey guys!" They both looked up, hearing Brock enter through the front door, a grin on his face. "Breakfast!"

–

She twisted her hair, drying it as she stepped out the the shower, stands of it clumping up in her hand has she pulled away. She looked at her hand, wrapped in lose blue hair. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. The stress had really gotten to her. She ran another a hand through her hair, feeling it slip away from her head. She looked in the mirror, her pale shoulders still covered with water, glistering from the light that passed through the window. She pulled her hand away, watching as hair pulled along with it, few stands staying behind. She sighed, swallowing the lump in her throat. She grabbed an elastic band and pulling her thin hair through it, twisting and pulling until she had gathered most of it. Her fringe falling gently over her forehead, other stands fell gently over her shoulders, still damp. She looked at her hands, gathering the bits of it which had fallen out, and throwing it in the small bin behind the toilet before picking up her towel.

"Dawn, breakfast is here!" she heard Brock call out. She quickly got dressed in her usual cloths and wandered back into the bathroom, looking out to the others who were gathered around the small balcony table. "Hurry up, before Ash scoffs it all down." Ash looked up to him, offended, his cheeks full of food.

"Coming," she said with a cheer. She felt so much better now, that was the first shower she'd had in three days.

Ash looked up at her as she stepped outside, pulling the orange juice away from his lips. "Wow, you look better." Pikachu jumping up from behind him, and snatching his bacon while he was distracted. She smiled, and she smiled back. For a second there, everything felt normal. But they both knew it was far from it.

"Yeah, how are you feeling?" Brock asked, picking up a small bag of food and passing it to her. "It's take-away."

"Thanks," she took it in her hand, sitting down next to him. "And yeah, I'm feeling better after my shower."

"That's good."

"So you going to the contest today?" Brock continued, looking over at Ash as he frantically looked around for the missing bacon.

"Oh! I almost forgot... I don't think I can, anyway, we haven't practised."

"Oh, you do Pokemon contests, Dawn?" Misty asked, deciding to look up at her.

Dawn smiled at her, "Yeah, I do."

"Why did you choose to do that?"

"I dunno. My mum used to be a top co-ordinator, so I guess I kind of grew up with it."

"Oh, wow. You must be good."

"Oh, I don't know about that," she smiled sheepishly, rubbing hand over the back of her neck. "Thank you though."

"Since you're not going to the contest, I suppose we should get a move on to the next town. We've been here for a while now, and Ash already has his new badge."

"Oh, good job Ash!" Misty chirped, a little over the top.

"Thanks, Misty."

"Cute, huh?" Brock nudged Dawn, making her look back at him confused. He looked over at the two. "Little lovebirds."

Ash quickly looked up at him, almost chocking on his toast. "Huh?"

"Ash almost drowned yesterday after Misty gave him a little smooch."

Dawn's eyes widened, and her heart dropped like a weight. She looked at him, dead in the eyes, her stomach tensing up again.

"D-Dawn! I... That's not it!" He began to stand up, reaching an arm out to grab her, but it was too late. She was out the door before he had the chance.

He stood there, for a while, not moving. Just taking in what had just happened. He flinched when he heard the front door slam shut.

"Oh no..." Ash mumbled to himself, a hand coming up over his eyes.

"I thought _you _said there was nothing going on?" Misty smirked, she knew it.

–

**Aw, poor Dawn... Don't stress, Misty will be leaving soon. There's no way I could cope with her the entire way through. Getting in the way all the time... Doesn't mean this is over! No where near.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**`3rooke**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Unconditional Love**

_**Chapter Eight**_

_She brought her hands over her eyes, crawling up towards the wall of stone behind her as she sat listening to the crashing waves. The soft sand brushing against her legs as she crawled into the shade. Sobbing._

Ash quickly rushed outside to find her. This had to be explained. He wished someone would explain it to him first...

Brock watched as Misty shot up too, announcing that she would go after him. He sighed, picking up his toast and finishing it. _Moody teenagers. _He thought.

She rushed outside, Nurse Joy on full alert as she watched three teenagers rush outside. The first one struck with a traumatic look.

"Ash!"

"No, _don't!_" He shot back around, now out on the pavement outside the Pokemon Centre. "You knew very well that there was something going on."

Misty pulled her hand away, _how did he know?_

"I found it in your bag."

"You went through my things?"

"No, don't make me look like the bad one here. You took what you knew belonged to me, and said nothing. Why did you go through my pockets?"

"I didn't! You dropped your pants, and it fell out. I was going to just put it back, but then I realised what it was. I swear, I didn't go _looking _for something like that."

"Look, I don't care. Either way, you _knew _it was mine. You could have at least asked me about it. Instead of taking it like a sneak and hiding it from me." He breathed out, closing his eyes before looking up at her again. "Do you have _any _idea how much that meant to me?"

Her shoulders sunk, and she pulled back a little bit, guilt rushing over her as she looked at the fear in his eyes. She looked down to the ground, breathing out as she heard him step away from her.

He paused, and turned back around, before deciding it wasn't worth it and returned back to look for Dawn.

–

She took her hands away, looking up over the blue-green open sea that danced right in front of her. The tears on her face quickly tried from the sharp, salty breeze that passed through. What was she worth? She looked down at her torso, bring a hand up and over her belly. It wouldn't be long before it began to swell up. Wouldn't be long before she would be able to count the stairs, and list the judgemental words. Women would look at her with disgust, and men would look at her with interest. She looked easy. A fifteen your old girl with the belly the size of a beach ball. She closed her eyes. She had no more tears. Her eyes ran dry and her heart did too.

"Dawn?" She heard from behind her. She leaned closer against the stone wall. It was Ash. "Please Dawn, where are you?" She closed her eyes, she wished he would go away, but at the same time, she longed for him to be there. She couldn't make up her mind. Why couldn't she have both? She wondered why he was looking for her. And where was Misty in all this. She didn't understand. He begged for her that night, and now it seemed like he couldn't wait to be free of her. She pulled her knees up against her chest, hugging them close. She ruined his life.

"Dawn!" he quickly jumped off the edge of the wall, landing swiftly on his feet. She shot her head up, realising she had been discovered. She quickly got up on her feet, stumbling a little but was stopped when Ash pulled at her wrist. She turned around, only to be pulled in further, into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her, firm and tight, like he was never going to let go. He dug his nose into her hair, which was still neatly pulled back.

She stood there, shocked. Her arms dangling at her sides, pushing in towards her body by his grip. He pulled one hand up behind her head, her loose ponytail slipping between his fingers as her pulled her into him. The other arm snaked around her lower back, making her feel trapped – but she didn't mind. He breathed out, and back in; taking in her sweet familiar scent.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice hitched.

She paused, and closed her eyes. She felt the cool, fresh breeze whistle through her ears. It was so violent, yet gentle. She dug her nose into his neck, drowning in his husky deodorant. She snaked her arms around his torso, pulling in.

"_I missed you, Ash."_

–

_**Woo! Ash is back! Oh, yeah! This is where all the romance begins. And yeah, Dawn is a bit of an idiot for giving into him so easily, but hey, who could blame her?**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**`3rooke**_


	9. Author's Note

**Yes, you saw correctly. This is only an authors note. First time I've ever updated, and not delivered. Many apologies, because I know how aggravating it is. Trust me.**

**Phew. It's been a while since I was on here. Mainly because my laptop crashed and it put me off writing for a while, because I had to restart it every freakin' twenty minutes... But also because I often get bursts of inspiration, where I feel like writing all the time, and then my creativity goes into hibernation for who knows how long.**

**So after rereading this, I've decided that I'm going to re upload the chapters. They're much shorter then I remember, and they could use a bit of tweaking. There really isn't going to be any change to the plot, just some minor adjustments. If you have the time, reread them. I'll try and make them more captivating for those who have already gone through them. I'm even going to wear my glasses for this. I never wear my glasses.**

**Thanks for reading – and, yes, this is going to be removed after all edits are completed. I hate when an entire chapter is dedicated to an authors note. It throws everything out of wack. Besides, I don't think these things are even allowed... I got really bored one day and decided to read that painful terms and conditions notification that comes up every time you try to upload, and I'm pretty sure is specifically says that what I'm doing now, is strictly not allowed. Wow, rebel.**

**So, yeah, I'll stop rambling and get back to work.**


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